The invention relates generally to a flow control device for gas streams, and more specifically to a flow control device for air streams which are guided in ducts in motor-vehicle heating or air-conditioning systems.
German Patent Publication DE 44 42 000 A1 discloses a heating and/or air-conditioning device. FIGS. 3 to 5 of this document show a control device wherein one of the bearing journals of a flap extends through the side wall of a support frame, where it is provided with a pinion that meshes with a corresponding pinion of a drive motor. The remaining flaps provided in this arrangement are connected to the first flap by way of coupling rods, only the first flap being driven in the exemplary embodiment shown in those figures.
However, this arrangement suffers from the drawback that with a construction of this type, the drive motor must be mounted on the outside of the side wall of the support frame in such a way that its output shaft or the pinion resting on this shaft meshes with the pinion of the flap. Therefore, this installation of the drive motor requires certain adaptations to be made, and is complex and therefore time and effort consuming.